The subject matter herein relates generally to electronic devices, such as transformers, inductors, filters, couplers, baluns, diplexers, multiplexers, modules or chokes.
Some electronic inductive devices include conductive coils wrapped around a ferrite component. For example, the inductive devices can include one or more inductors, transformers, or chokes. In general, a wire or set of wires is helically wrapped around an iron or magnetic body several times. Current flows through the wire and generates magnetic flux in the magnetic body. The magnetic flux may be used to induce current in another conductive coil and/or filter out components of the current.
Some of these known inductive devices are not without their shortcomings. For example, traditional inductors, transformers, or chokes can be relatively large and/or limited in topology and performance, especially in the context of Ethernet devices and other communication devices. The ferrites can be relatively large, and the conductive coils that are hand or machine-wrapped around the ferrites can consume relatively large amounts of space. Such inductive devices may need to be mounted on top of circuit boards that are included in the communication device and, as a result, increase the size of the communication device.
However, when the size of the inductive device is decreased, the relatively brittle ferrites may be damaged and/or break during incorporation of the inductor, transformer, or choke into the communication device. For example, the hand- or machine-wrapping of conductive wire around the relatively small ferrites can be difficult, if not impossible to reliably achieve.
A need exists for smaller inductive devices that include ferrites with conductive coils extending around the ferrites.